Upcoming Event - World Migratory Bird Day Celebration (12 May 2018)

Bineshiyag n'ganawaabmaanaanig! (We watch the Birds!)


Join the Isabella Conservation District, Ziibiwing Center of AnishinabeCulture & Lifeways, and Chippewa Valley Audubon Club on Saturday 12 MAY 2018 for our 7th annual World Migratory Bird Day Celebration.  Begin the day at 9:00AM with a Bird Walk at the Soaring Eagle RV Park (5514 E. Airport Rd, Mt. Pleasant, MI) for a bird walk hosted by the Chippewa Valley Audubon Club.  Later at 1:00PM join us at the Ziibiwing Center (6650 E. Broadway, Mt. Pleasant, MI) for an afternoon of educational activiites, arts and crafts, and give-aways.  Cap the day off with a live raptor presentation by Wings of Wonder from 3:30PM to 4:30PM.  This a great family friendly event!

Year of the Bird

2018 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.  In celebration of this milestone, this year has been declared "Year of the Bird" by the National Audubon Society, National Geographic Society, Bird Life International, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

In honor of the celebration I thought I would share a few of my favorite bird photographs.

Don't forget to mark your calendar for Saturday May 12th from 1:00PM TO 5:00pm.  Join me on that date as the Isabella Conservation District, Chippewa Valley Audubon Club, and Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe celebrate World Migratory Bird Day at the Ziibiwing Center.

 

 

 

Upcoming Event - Bird Day Celebration (13 May 2017)

 

Join me on Saturday May 13th as we celebrate International Migratory Bird Day in Mt. Pleasant.  Start the day at 9:00AM with a bird walk at the Soaring Eagle Hideaway RV Park (5514 E. Airport Rd.).  Chippewa Valley Audubon Club president Gary Kramer will lead a search for waterfowl on Grewes Lake and spring migratory songbirds on the nearby walking trail.

At 1:00PM join us at the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways (6650 E. Broadway Rd.) for an afternoon of bird-related crafts and learning activities.  The afternoon starts at 1:00 with a welcome ceremony and Eagle Dance.  

Outside, the fields surrounding the Ziibiwing Center are a great place to see grassland birds such as Eastern Meadowlarks, Bobolinks, and Grasshopper Sparrows.  The nesting boxes along the Bluebird Trail should be attracting residents such as Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows.

End the day with a live Birds of Prey presentation by the Howell Nature Center.  This presentation will give you the opportunity to see a variety of raptor species up close including an adult Bald Eagle!

This will be the sixth year that we have celebrated this event.  Please come and help us make it bigger and better than ever.

Sad news from Wings of Wonder

Sad news from the Wings of Wonder Facebook page:

"A bit of sad news to share . . . our littlest 'family' member, Ned, has passed away suddenly. Ned, a Northern Saw Whet Owl, showed signs of illness on July 9th and was gone by July 11th. We are currently awaiting the results from an autopsey so I will share that information when I receive it. Ned was one of our most popular raptors, delighting thousands of folks over the many years with his cuteness, small size, beauty and quirky personality. He will be so very, very missed . . . and I wish him well on his next journey. My loving thanks to little Ned for opening our eyes and hearts to the greatness of Northern Saw Whet Owls."

Ned made the trip to Mt. Pleasant a couple of times for the International Migratory Bird Day Celebration at the Ziibiwing Center.

Rebecca Lessard with Ned at the Ziibiwing Center (2016)

Shara and I have also been fortunate enough to visit Wings of Wonder on two occasions and see Ned (and all of the other WOW birds) at "home".

Ned in his flight enclosure at Wings of Wonder (2015)

Ned will be missed by many.   Contributions in Ned's memory can be made to Wings of Wonder.

Upcoming Event - Bird Day Celebration

On Saturday May 14th the Isabella Conservation District and the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways are hosting our fifth annual Migratory Bird Day Celebration.  This event is from 1:00 PM to 5:00PM and is free to the public.  The Ziibiwing Center is located at 6650 E. Broadway just east of Mt. Pleasant.

Some of the activities for the day include:

• "The Wonder of Raptors" - a live birds of prey presentation by Wings of Wonder at 3:00 PM
• Participate in bird banding Alma College biologist Mike Bishop
• Owl Pellet dissection
• Make an Audubon Bird Call
• Decorate a bird mask and other crafts
• Compare your "wingspan" to the wingspan of birds
• Check out the Ziibiwing Center's new Ozhaashko Bineshiinh Miikan (Bluebird Trail)
• Handle replicas skulls and eggs of some of Mid-Michigan's native birds

There will be lots of free goodies including stickers and posters.  We will also be giving away door prizes over the course of the afternoon (including International Migratory Bird Day t-shirts) - you must be present to win any door prizes.